This invention relates generally to the field of automobile instrument panel assembly, in particular instrument panels having structural components interconnected to each other.
Instrument panels are located in the cockpit of automobiles and are often the command center allowing for the driver to monitor and control the workings of the automobile. As such, the fixing of the instrument panel and its components to the rest of the car is crucial. An instrument panel should be securely fastened to the body of the automobile and minimize rattling and improper alignment. There are three major components of an instrument panel including the housing that contains electrical components, the bezel panel containing the dials, displays, knobs, and buttons commonly thought of as the controls, and a cover panel overlying the controls and integrating the instrument panel into the automobile and sometimes referred to as trim.
Previous instrument panel assemblies include the housing affixed to the automobile and the bezel panel rigidly affixed to the housing. The cover panel is then brought over and around the joined housing and bezel panel and itself affixed to the automobile, such as at to a frame, cowl or cross-beam. Such construction, however, can result in gaps between the bezel panel and the cover panel creating rattling as the panel and cover move independently of one another due to standard automobile vibrations. Such gaps may perhaps even obscure the view of the periphery of the bezel panel. Such inferior construction can cause noise and is not visually pleasing to the passengers.
As such, it is an object of this invention is to decrease gaps between the bezel panel and the cover panel when installed in an automobile. A further object of the invention is to reduce instrument panel vibration and rattling noise caused by the movement and contact of the bezel panel with the cover panel.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method of assembly for securely attaching an instrument panel to an automobile. In one embodiment of the invention, a housing containing electronic components for the instrument panel is attached to the frame structure of an automobile. The bezel panel containing the control and display areas is then attached to the housing. The cover panel is then attached to the bezel panel and the housing by fasteners extending through the bezel panel.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the housing and the cover panel are joined via the bezel panel. The bezel panel has bilateral fastening means, which align with the housing and the cover panel to allow for attachment of all three components together.
Another embodiment of the invention allows for lateral movement among the three components. This allows for movement of the components while retaining alignment of the instrument panel as a whole.
The invention may also be embodied in a method for assembling an automobile instrument panel. The method includes the steps of providing a housing and attaching a cover panel to the housing via a bezel panel having bilateral fastening means.